Self-rated health in preadolescent children as a predictor for hospital contacts and redeemed prescriptions: the Danish National Birth Cohort 1996–2002

Abstract

Aim:

The decline in self-rated health among young people raises concerns for future health outcomes. We examined whether self-rated health in preadolescence predicts hospital contacts and prescription redemption in later adolescence.

Methods:

This longitudinal study uses the Danish National Birth Cohort on children born 1996–2002. A questionnaire was distributed to 96,382 11-year-old preadolescents followed from 2010 to 2018. Number of hospital contacts and prescriptions were obtained from Danish registers. Incidence rate ratios (IRRs) were estimated, comparing preadolescents with poor (‘Not So Good’/’Poor’) and ‘Good’ self-rated health to those with ‘Excellent’ self-rated health.

Results:

Among the 47,365 (49.1%) 11-year-old participants, 5.3% reported poor self-rated health and 38.3% reported good health. Analyses revealed that children with good self-rated health had higher rates of somatic (IRR, 1.17 [1.14–1.21]) and psychiatric (IRR, 1.63 [1.47–1.81]) hospital contacts. Children with poor self-rated health showed even higher rates, with IRRs of 1.73 [1.62–1.85] for somatic and 3.54 [3.03–4.15] for psychiatric contacts. Additionally, those with good self-rated health had more somatic and psychiatric prescriptions (IRR, 1.25 [1.21–1.30] and 1.75 [1.55–1.97], respectively), whereas children with poor self-rated health had IRRs of 1.67 [1.56–1.80] for somatic and 4.03 [3.39–4.82] for psychiatric prescriptions.

Conclusion:

Preadolescents with both good and poor self-rated health show higher rates of hospital contacts and prescription redemption in adolescence, especially pronounced in children with poor self-rated health. This indicates that early-life health perceptions impact long-term wellbeing, particularly psychiatric health. This simple self-rated health measure provides valuable insights for healthcare professionals by aiding in identifying children in need of support and early intervention.